Roses
by PokeFarmer
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, and Cam is forced outside for the afternoon. [Written for Durotos' Short and Sweet Prompt at the Village Square Forums!]


"Be back by nightfall!" Howard winked, ushering Cam out the door and locking it behind him.

 _You're lucky if I come back at all,_ Cam thought to himself, grumbling under his breath.

Valentine's Day was never a happy day for Cam, after the only girl he loved had left for another town. He never got the chance to tell her how he felt (how cowardly he was), and once he reached her farm to finally tell her, it was too late.

So how can they expect him to simply 'find someone to have fun with'? He preferred staying in his room all day, arranging flowers. He can't get his heart broken there. Flowers were the only things that could make him feel at peace.

He still remembered the last words she said to him:

 _"Cam, I'm really sorry but... my dad needs me. Just know that I'll never forget you, or anyone in Bluebell. I'm sorry..." A tear escaped from her eye, then she kissed him on the cheek, but before Cam could say anything she had left to pack the rest of her essentials. And when he finally summed up the courage to go to her farm, she had gone._

He regretted everything. Cam even considered moving out at one point. He hated that he was too socially awkward to have confessed a few years back. He wished that she never had to leave and her father never got sick... no, it would be cruel to blame her dad.

Cam blamed himself.

Fiddling with the roses he had in his hands, he gave out a big, heavy sigh. He looked down at his feet, heading towards the mountain, to where he usually went on his days off.

* * *

Reina happily explored the Bluebell mid-mountain, her eyes lighting up as she looked around at all of the unique plants. "Wow! I..I've never seen this before! And this one!" Taking notes of everything she saw, she then hiked down to the lower part of the mountain.

Wandering around, she wondered why she didn't come here earlier... wait, never mind, she knows exactly why. Two words: ridiculous feud.

Looking upwards, she found a rare tree and reached out for one of its branches. "Whoa... this is certainly one-of-a-kind..." Drawing a sketch of the tree, she moved backwards to get a better look, but ended up bumping into someone!

"O-oh my goddess. I'm so sorry, I-I wasn't looking at where I was going and- never mind that, d-do you need a hand?" Reina blurted out, dropping her notebook in shock.

Finding himself on the floor, Cam was amused at the girl's reaction, and while he still wasn't in a great mood, he gave a light-hearted chuckle. "No harm done." Getting up off the never-cut grass, he held out a hand. "The name's Cam."

"Reina," she replied, shaking his hand.

"Oh, I must've dropped these." Cam muttered, bending down to pick up the four roses on the grass, with Reina doing the same. Their hands brushed against one another, causing the two to blush a little before quickly standing up again.

Faking a cough, he noticed Reina's gaze at the tree. "You can find a lot of rare trees here in Bluebell," he informed her.

"Mmhm," she replied, afraid that if she said more her voice would shake too much.

Seeing her unwillingness to talk more, Cam sighed. He looked down at the flowers in his hand before looking back at her. "...Did you know that flowers all have different meanings?"

Removing her stare at the tree, she turned to look at Cam. "I've heard that they do... can you tell me about the roses?"

Glad that he had something he wasn't reluctant to talk about, he gave a genuine smile. "I'd be glad to. I have four different colours: red, pink, yellow and white. Yellow is usually a sign of friendship, and white is usually for purity, innocence or new beginnings... Pink roses show admiration, happiness and joy. And red..." he was a little reluctant to carry on, "Red roses show deep feelings... such as love and romance. To say that you're dedicated... and to express your feelings." _Which was something I never did._

"Oh," was all that Reina could say. The solemn look on his face showed that he had been through a tough time. "T...that's really interesting."

"Yeah," Cam nodded, "It is. Well, Happy Valentine's Day I guess. I'll see you around." Starting to walk away, he sighed, and started to lose grip of the red rose in his hand, eventually letting go. He didn't have a need for it now.

"Um... you dropped..." Reina called, but her words either were unheard, or he simply ignored her. Bending down to pick up the red rose, she inspected it. "It's very well taken care of..." Looking up to see Cam walking away, it seemed he wasn't coming back for it. "Maybe I could keep it... f-for research of course..."

Wondering if he had left it purposely, she quickly shook the thought out of her mind. _No... that's ridiculous... he must've just accidentally let go... y-yeah, that's what happened._ Gently grabbing the rose between her two fingers, she began to hike up the mountain to return to Konohana.

Meanwhile, Cam looked down at the roses he held. The flower that caught his eye was the white one. "New beginnings..." he mumbled. "You know, I think it's time I had a fresh start," he whispered to the rose, holding it close to his chest. "It's time to move on."

* * *

 **A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! :D This was written for Durotos'** **Short and Sweet Prompt in the Village Square Forums.**


End file.
